September 24, 2011
England

Protest to top minister over Rossendale windfarm access

By Peter Magill, Chief reporter, Lancashire Telegraph, www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk 24 September 2011

Protests over the road to a controversial windfarm are set to go to Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.

Town councillors are angry they were not consulted over plans to deregister land from Shawforth to the turbines at Crook Hill, Whitworth.

Residents along New Line, Bacup, and Market Street, Shawforth, already fear the impact on their property foundations of HGVs deliv-ering equipment for the steel turbines.

Coun Tom Aldred said: “The first we heard about this was when we saw a notice pinned on a tele-graph pole.

“Town councillors are now going to write to the Secretary of State and complain because we just haven’t been consulted.”

However, county council-lors on Lancashire’s comm-ons and town greens sub- committee have already approved the proposals.

Several footpaths and bridleways are in the path of the access road, which will be built by Coronation Pow-er, along with the disused Middle Hill and Hades quar-ries.

The company, which wants to build 12 turbines, is prep-ared to exchange the comm-on land for nearby plots.

Campaigners are also marshalling their opposit-ion ahead of a planning application for the access road, which will be cons-idered by Rossendale Coun-cil’s development control committee on October 4.

Edenfield residents rem-ember the disruption caus-ed during the construction phase of Scout Moor wind farm, which saw equipment transported from the M66 along narrow lanes, and fear a repeat.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/24/protest-to-top-minister-over-rossendale-windfarm-access/